Madder
/ˈmædər/noun
A plant of the genus Rubia, especially Rubia tinctorum, whose roots produce a red dye.
Did you know?Madder’s roots contain alizarin, the source of a powerful red dye used in ancient Egyptian textiles and later in the famous “Turkey red” dyeing tradition.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*madrōn
“Madder plant; a reconstructed Germanic plant name”
Old English
Old English
mædere
“Madder, the dye-producing plant”
Old Norse
Old Norse
maðra
“Madder or a related bedstraw plant”
Middle English
Middle English
mader
“Madder; the root used to make red dye”
Modern English
English
madder
“The Rubia plant and its red dye-producing root”
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